Hot top



I Sept. 2, 1947. H. P. REES ET-AL HOT TOP Fil ed Jan. 25. 1945' nvm'vronA ma/-11 E555. JbH/s/ EIDNER Afro/8N5 Y5 Patented Sept. 2, 1947 HOT TOPHiram P. Rees, Girard, and John Bidner, Youngstown, Ohio, assignors, bymesne assignments, to The Ferro Engineering Company, Cleveland, Ohio, acorporation of Ohio Application January 23, 1945, Serial No. 574,125

This invention relates to improvements in hot tops, more particularly tothe construction and disposition of wiper strips therefor.

In hot tops of the type which extend into the mold and are caused tofloat on the molten metal when the latter rises to the required height,it is conventional practice to employ sheet metal wiper strips whichextendaround the perimeter of the hot top and wipe against the moldwalls as the hot top is lowered into position. Where the mold is ofpolygonal cross-section, there is usually a separate strip for each wallof the hot top, and together these strips bridge the clearance spacebetween the hot top and the mold, with the hot top centered in the mold.

In accordance with the present invention the wiper strip construction issimplified in the respect that it extends only about half way around thehot top instead of completely around it. In order that this shorterwiper strip may function correctly those portions of the hot top whichare not equipped with the wiper strip are forced against the interiorwall of the mold and the projecting portion of the wiper strip isincreased in width sufllciently over that of the conventional strip tocompletely bridge the clearance between the not top and the mold.Preferably we mount the wiper strip on the bottom of the hot top, andthus prevent the formation of any substantial amount of fin on theingot.

One of the objects of the invention therefore is the simplification ofwiper strips for ingot molds.

Another object is the provision of a wiper strip construction whichwillreduce or eliminate the fins normally formed on the ingot betweenthe mold and the hot top.

Still another object of the invention is to render it easy for theworkman pouring the metal to observe when the metal has risen in themold to the level of the bottom of the hot top.

Other objects and features of novelty will appear as we proceed with thedescription of those embodiments of the invention which, for thepurposes of the present application, we have illustrated in theaccompanying drawing, in which Fig. 1 is an elevational view, partlybroken away and partly in vertical section, of a fragment of an ingotmold and a hot top embodying the invention.

Fig. 2 is a horizontal sectional view taken substantially on the line2-2 of Fig. 1.

Fig.3 is a fragmental vertical sectional view of a composite hot top inwhich the invention is embodied, and

1 Claim. (Cl. 22-147) Fig. 4 is a plan view of a wiper strip for a hottop of square cross-section constructed in accordance with theinvention.- 2 r In the drawing Ill represents an ingot mold of the bigend up type. As illustrated the mold is substantially square inhorizontal section, but it should be understood that the invention isapplicable to hot tops for rectangular molds oi cent walls of the hottop in which the sockets l2.

are formed. A convenient means of attachment. as herein shown, consistsof a series of spring wire clips IS, the upper inwardly bent ends ofwhich are caused to extend into small recesses it formed in the hot top.At the proper positions the wiper strip is slotted, as indicated at i I,to receive the upright portions of the clips i5, and the lowerhorizontal portions it of the clips are snapped or .sprung inwardlybeneath that part of the wiper strip which is disposed against thebottom surface of the hot top.

When the hot top with the wiper strip attached is lowered into the mold,the projecting portions of the wiper strip I tend to guide the hot topinto the oil-center position illustrated. As the hot top is loweredfurther, blocks 20 with square upper ends 2! and tapered or beveledlower ends 22 are inserted into the sockets i2 and a block 23 withsquare upper and lower ends is inserted into the socket l3. The upperends of each of these blocks engage beneath the square shoulders at theupper ends of the sockets on the side 25 of the hot top.

In the form of the invention illustrated in Fig. 3,

the hot top comprise an iron housing 30 composed of one or more castingsand having a horizontal flange 3| or other projecting parts a ainstwhich supporting blocks may engage. The housing has a bottom ledge 32upon which are supptmd lining blocks a. A bottom ring :4 of refractorymaterial, intended for single use, protects the lower ends oi. thehousing and lining. Spring clips 35 of the type disclosed in Patent No.2,080,848, issued May 18, 1937, to Waiter M. Charman, support the wiperstrip i4 and also the bottom ring 34. The strip ll it will be understoodis similar to the strip ll of the first described form of the invention.Two blocks 20' tapered on their lower ends, disposed on two adjacentside 01' the hot top like the blocks "20,

are employed for the double. purpose of supporting the hot top andforcing those sides of the A square ended block similar to block 23 isemployed upon one of the latter walls for the same purpose as block 23.The method of assembling and using this form of the invention is thesame as that previously described for the form of Figs.

1 and 2.

Having thus described our invention, we claim: In a rectangular hot topadapted for insertion into a big-end-up ingot mold, a one pieceresilbottom ring which are not equipped with a wiper strip against thecorresponding walls of the mold.

4, lent wiper strip extending along two adjacent sides only of the hottop near the lower edge thereof and around the corner between thosesides, said strip-havinga portion projecting outwardly beyond flcient totake up the clearance between the hot top and the mold, said projectingportion extending diagonally upward and tending to crowd the remaininglower edges or the hot top against the corresponding walls-oi the moldas the hot top is lowered thereinto.

J I-IIR.AMP.REES..

JOHN BIJDNER.

REFERE CES CITED 1,050,000 Hnwsj i- Mar. 15,1932

the body of the i. top of a Width Suf-

